iya li... iya, nih gua update lagi, diganti pula lagunya. aduh, mustinya lo tuh ninggalin komentar bukan bikin-bikin permintaan! untung gua baek, jadi diturutin deh.
I've been meaning to post about my outings last weekend to the film festivals and the cafés, but technological issues hindered me from doing so. I got some pictures from this café that we went to (Café Bonaparte) on my cellphone but I haven't managed to transfer them to my PC. I guess Nokia make good cellphones by sacrificing their tech support funds. So let me just give you the summary.

I've got an idea if the District's tourism promotion board ever on the lookout for a new campaign. I admit it won't be that original but it is representative of what DC is. The problem is, when most people think about DC, what comes to their mind is the White House, the Capitol, and the Monuments and Memorials all over the city. It's not that they're wortheless or anything, they're beautiful in fact (Lincoln Memorial at night glowing with the reflecting pool underneath it is definitely one of DC's best views). But, it's such a shame that because of they're forgetting that the District is also a city full of contradictions, a liberal capital of a conservative country, a gay district right by the city's affluent old-moneyed area, yuppies shopping at the same spot as senators, film festivals vying for audience with the demonstrators at World Bank headquarters, the list is endless but you got the main point: if you order a sampler platter of the world's population, then DC's populace is what you will get.

I could almost hear you say, "What about New York or Paris or London?" True, those cities have really diverse population but it doesn't stop there. A New Yorker is a New Yorker first and foremost, same with a Parisian or a Londoner. One thing that's interesting about DC is that it is yet to grow it's own personality, so there is no such thing as the DC dialect or DC style or DC food. What we have here are choices of the plethora of authentic arts and food from whatever part of the world. Those two things are the top two reasons why I love DC. First, the choice of restaurants from fine dining to diner food to ethnic cuisine to fusion of everything. Second is the international festivals that seem to run year-long here in DC, there's DC FilmFest, DC Independent Film Festival, the Festivals at the Smithsonian, the Screenings at the AFI, the Art Museums, the Screen on the Green, and most recently the US-ASEAN Film Festival. The choices are endless.

I've put on a new song by the way, it's called « Une île », a duet performed by Serge Lama and Anggun. Cukup pelan gak buat elo li? It's quite old actually, but I've just finally managed to get my hands on the mp3. I don't think it's available anywhere but in France and some stores in Montreal perhaps.

« Une île / An Island »

une île, entre le ciel et l'eau
an island, between the sky and the water
une île sans hommes ni bateaux
an island without man nor boat
inculte, un peu comme une insulte
uneducated, a bit like an insult
sauvage, sans espoir de voyage
savage, without hope of voyage
une île, une île
an island, an island
entre le ciel et l'eau
between the sky and the water

ce serait là, face à la mer immense
it would be there, facing the immense sea
là, sans espoir d'espèrance
there, without hope of hoping
tout seul, face à ma destinée
all by myself, facing what's destined for me
plus seul qu'au coeur d'une forêt
more alone than the heart of a forest
ce serait là, dans ma propre défaite
it would be there, in my own defeat
tout seul, sans espoir de conquête
alone, without hope of conquering
que je saurais enfin pourquoi
that i would finally realize why
je t'ai quitée, moi qui n'aime que toi
i left you, me who loves no one but you

une île, comme une cible d'or
an island, like a golden target
tranquille, comme un enfant qui dort
tranquil, like a sleeping child
fidèle, à en mourir pour elle,
faithful, to those who die for her
cruelle, à force d'être belle
cruel, to the force of being beautiful
une île, une île
an island, an island
comme un enfant qui dort
like a sleeping child

ce serait là, face à la mer immense
it would be there, facing the immense sea
là, pour venger mes vengeances
there, to avenge my vengeances
tout seul avec mes souvenirs
all alone with my memories
plus seul qu'au moment de mourir
more alone than at the moment of death
ce serait-là, au coeur de Sainte-Hélène
it would be there, at the heart of St. Helen
sans joie, sans amour, sans haine
without joy, without love, without hate
que je saurais enfin pourquoi
oh how i would finally know why
je t'ai quittée, moi qui n'aime que toi
i left you, me who loves no one but you

une île, cette île, mon île
an island, that island, my island
c'est toi
it's you